Line find mechanism



May 24, 1966 w. s. TEMPLETON LINE FIND MECHANI SM Original Filed April30, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 uu Ln! r if! L INVENTOR. WILLIAM B. TEMPLETON. BY

AT TORNEX y 4, 1966 w. B. TEMPLETON LINE FIND MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Original Filed April 30. 1963 INVENTOR. WILL/AM B. TEMPLfTO/V BYATTORNEY.

United States Patent 4 claims. or. 197-127 This application is adivision of my copending application, Serial No. 276,738, for Line FindMechanism, filed April 30, 1963.

This invention relates generally to business machines and particularlyto line find devices for record sheets.

It is an object of the invention to provide for business machines, animproved device for stopping a record sheet, in relation to a recordprocessing station, at a position corresponding to the location in thesheet of a perforation designating the next available unused line on thesheet.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the flexing of a sheetby a sheet stop member to insure a desired abutting relationship betweenthe stop member and a displaceable edge of a sheet perforationdesignating the next available unused line on the sheet.

A further object of the invention is to provide an efficient andreliable sheet stop device of the above mentioned character.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a record sheet guideway and associated linefind mechanism embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of a sheet feed mechanism ofFIG. 1 including a record sheet;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1,showing the operating parts of the line find device in their normalpositions;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, showing the parts in the positionsthey assume in the stopping of a record sheet;

FIG. 5 is a modification of device of FIGS. 3 and 4, showing the partsin their normal positions; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing the parts in the positionsthey assume in the stopping of a record sheet.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference and first to FIGS.1 to 4, the device includes a sheet guideway 166, defined by astationary plate member 168 and a pair of laterally positioned platemembers 170, arranged in spaced apart broadside relationship to theplate member 168. Within the guideway 166 is the bightof two laterallyspaced feed rollers 56 cooperating respectively with two pressurerollers 57 which are preferably power driven and normally operating tofeed a record sheet down to a process station, or printer (not shown).The driven rollers 56 are mounted on a driven shaft 50 and also mountedon the driven shaft there is a coil spring brake 108 shown in dottedlines. Mounted to rotate on the driven shaft 50 adjacent the brake 108is a brake operating lever 172 which has an arm 173 in a normallyretracted position Withdrawn from the gu-ideway 166 as shown in FIG. 3.A separate lever 174, biased by spring 134 connected to stud 136, isprovided to control movement of the brake operating lever 172 betweenits retracted ineffective position and its effective position shown inFIG. 4. The lever 174 is mounted to rotate on the driven shaft 50 andnormally the free end of the lever, as at 176, extends across theguideway 166, as shown in FIG. 3. A coil spring 178 yieldably connectsthe levers together.

An elongated aperture or slot 180 in the brake operatmg arm 172 allowsfor horizontal linear movement of the brake operating arm between itsretracted and op erating positions. A pin 182 affixed to the lever 174projects into an aperture 184 in lever 172, the aperture 184 beingelongated longitudinally of lever 172 in line with the elongatedaperture 180.

A fragment of a record sheet 24, of a type suitable for use inconnection with the present line find mechanism, is illustrated in FIG.2. Adjacent the rightward side edge of the record sheet 24 there isshown a column of horizontal slit-like perforations 26 which designatelines of print previously made on the sheet. The lowermost slit 26designates, of course, the next available unused line of the sheet.These slits are preferably made with a punch or perforator formed so asto displace a small portion 27 of the sheet adjacent and directly abovethe slit such that the portion 27 projects forwardly of the sheet faceand downwardly, or such that the upper edge of the slit is displacedfrom the plane of the sheet. This provides an upper edge of the slit inposition for abutment with the brake operating arm 173.

In the operation of the line find device of FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower orleading edge of a sheet being fed downwardly in the guideway lfidengagesthe arm 176 and pivots lever 174 counterclockwise. Because of the leverconnecting pin 182, the lever 172 follows lever 174, the displacementbeing calculated such that when the leading edge of the sheet passes thearm 176, the arm 173 of the brake operating lever 172 has been pivotedinto the guideway 166 in the path of the displaced edge 27 of sheetperforation 26'. At the same time that the levers 172 and 174 are beingpivoted by the leading edge of the descending sheet, the spring 178 isurging the lever 172 linearly toward the sheet to tension the sheet asindicated to insure a good abutting relationship between the displacededge of perforation 26' and the lever arm 173. The operation of thelever 173 thus far has only taken up slack in the brake spring, but thesheet continues downwardly which further pivots the lever 172 to applythe brake 108, thus stopping the feeding of the sheet. The coil springbrake 108 is a well known type andtherefore it has not been shown indetail, but for a more complete understanding of the brake, referencemay be made to my above identified parent application.

Referring now to the modification of FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown, asheet guideway 186 defined by a pair of stationary guide plates 188, 190arranged in spaced apart broadside relationship. Within the guide way186 is the hight of feed rollers 56 and 57 rotated by the driven shaft50 on which the brake 108 is mounted as in the previously described linefinding device.

Freely rotatable on the driven shaft 50 there is a brake operating lever192 having an arm 194 which norm-ally projects into and across theguideway 186 for engagement and actuation by the leading edge of sheet24 being fed downwardly in the guideway. Angularly displaced from thearm 194, clockwise therefrom, as viewed in FIG. 5, the lever 192 has asecond arm 196 which is normally retracted from the guideway 186 and ispivotal to an effective position extending across the guideway, as shownin FIG. 6. In this position, the arm 196 is engaged by the upperdisplaced edge of the last used line designating perforation 26' and ispivoted to apply the brake 108 to stop the feed rollers 56, 57. In orderto further displace the upper edge of the perforation 26 and thus effecta good abutting relationship between said edge and arm 194, the arm isradially movable relative to lever 19-2, in the form of a plunger,biased outwardly by a coil spring 193. As a consequence of the provisionof the outwardly biased arm 196, the spring 198 urges the end of arm 196against the face of the sheet applying a pressure thereto whichimmediately below the perforation slightly flexes the sheet, as at 200to provide the desired contact between perforation edge and arm 196. I

Further in accordance with the invention, I provide a lost-motionconnection between the lever 192 and the spring brake member 1l18 suchthat the pivotal action of arm 194 by the leading edge of a sheet toposition arm 196 in effective position does not efiect operation of thespring brake member 5118. To this end, the spring brake member 118,which is normally expanded and therefore disengaged from its brake drum,is modified to provide on one end thereof a radially extending arm 202having an abutment 20 4 in the path of rotation of an arm 206 on lever192. In operation, when the leading edge of a fed sheet engages arm 194and pivots lever 19-2 to position mm 1196 in the pathway of theperforation edge, arm 2% is positioned near or against lug 204 and whenthe upper edge of sheet perforation 26' engages arm 196 and fur- .therpivots lever 192, the arm 2% pivots spring arm 202 to apply the brake108.

What is claimed is:

1. In a line finding device for stopping a sheet at a positioncorresponding to the location in the sheet of a line designatingperforation comprising a sheet guideway, sheet feed means normallyoperating to feed a sheet along said guideway, a brake operable to stopsaid feed means, a first lever having an arm normally projecting acrosssaid guideway for engagement and actuation by the leading edge of asheet, a second lever pivotally mounted coaxially with said first leverand having an arm normally positioned without said guideway, said secondlever bodily movable radially on its pivot and angularly displaced fromsaid first lever a distance substantially equal to displacement of thelatter by the leading edge of a sheet to position the arm of said secondlever in the path of an edge of the perforation, means connecting saidlevers for rotation together, and a spring connecting said leverstogether to urge said second lever radially relative to said firstlever.

2. In a line finding device for stopping a sheet at a positioncorresponding to the location in the sheet of a line designatingperforation comprising a sheet guideway, sheet feed means normallyoperating to feed a sheet along said guideway, a normally released brakemember operable to stop said feed means, a lever having a first armnormally projecting across said guideway for engagement and actuation bythe leading edge of a sheet through a predetermined angle to retract thearm rfor passage of the sheet, a second arm on said lever displaced fromthe first by an angle substantially equal to said predeterminedoperatively connected to said brake member, said sec- 0nd arm radiallymovable relative to said lever and biased outwardly against the face ofthe sheet.

3. In a line finding device for stopping a sheet at a positioncorresponding to the location in the sheet of a line designatingperforation comprising a sheet guideway, sheet (feed means normallyoperating to feed a sheet along said guideway, a brake member operableto stop said feed means, a lever having a first arm normally projectingacross said guideway for engagement and actuation through apredetermined angle by the leading edge of a sheet, a second arm carriedby said lever and angularly displaced therefrom counter to the directionof rotation of the first arm by an angle substantially equal to saidpredetermined angle, said second arm positionable by rotation of saidlever by the leading edge of a sheet to project across said guidew 'ayin the path of an edge of the perforation for actuation thereby, and alost-motion connection between said lever and said brake member.

*4. In a line finding device for stopping a sheet at a positioncorresponding to the location in the sheet of a line designatingperforation comprising a sheet guideway, sheet feed means norm-allyoperating to feed a sheet along said guideway, a normally released brakemember operable to stop said feed means, a lever having a first armnormally projecting across said guideway for engagement and actuation bythe leading edge of a sheet through a predetermined angle to retract thearm for passage of the sheet, a second arm on said lever displaced "fromthe first by an angle substantially equal to said predetermined angleand pivotal to a position projecting across said guideway in the path ofan edge of the perforation and operatively connected to said brakemember, and a lost-motion connection between said brake member and saidlever.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,985,178 12/1934Loeb 197--127 2,832,454 4/1958 Martin 197127 3,115,963 12/1963 Harbor etal 197-127 FOREIGN PATENTS 935,908 12/1955 Germany. 1,080,125 4/ 1960Germany.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

ERNEST T. WRIGHT, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A LINE FINDING DEVICE FOR STOPPING A SHEET AT A POSITIONCORRESPONDING TO THE LOCATION IN THE SHEET OF A LINE DESIGNATINGPERFORATION COMPRISING A SHEET GUIDEWAY, SHEET FEED MEANS NORMALLYOPERATING TO FEED A SHEET ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY, A BRAKE OPERABLE TO STOPSAID FEED MEANS, A FIRST LEVER HAVING AN ARM NORMALLY PROJECTING ACROSSSAID GUIDEWAY FOR ENGAGEMENT AND ACTUATION BY THE LEADING EDGE OF ASHEET, A SECOND LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED COAXIALLY WITH SAID FIRST LEVERAND HAVING AN ARM NORMALLY POSITIONED WITHOUT SAID GUIDEWAY, SAID SECONDLEVERL BODILY MOVABLE RADIALLY ON ITS PIVOT AND ANGULARLY DISPLACED FROMSAID FIRST LEVER A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO DISPLACEMENT OF THELATTER BY THE LEADING EDGE OF A SHEET TO POSITION THE ARM OF SAID SECONDLEVER IN THE PATH OF AN EDGE OF THE PERFORATION, MEANS CONNECTING SAIDLEVERS FOR ROTATION TOGETHER, AND A SPRING CONNECTING SAID LEVERSTOGETHER TO URGE SAID SECOND LEVER RADIALLY RELATIVE TO SAID FIRSTLEVER.